Too often we’re looking for things to ‘fix’ us when we are already thick of a bad situation.
I received a message from a client this week deep in stress wondering how she can get out of it. I gave her some breathing strategies to help. But when checking in with her later she’d not used them. We’d also already discussed implementing a meditation practice, starting with just 3–5 minutes a day but she’d not yet made it a habit. Rarely in high stress times do you have the wits about you to remember to take deep breaths or integrate the mindset tools you may have learnt – unless you practice them daily.
They are strategies that give long-term benefits but need to be done on the reg for them to become part of who you are and what you do. When you are in those times of high stress, that is when the consistency of doing the ‘boring stuff’ add up and they naturally come into play.
It’s hard to stay consistent because you don’t see the benefit straight away. But by doing it daily you start to see that you are able to manage things better when you really need it. You’re suddenly able to cope better. It’s because you practiced. You committed to want to change and committed to helping yourself and put in the work.
What preemptive things are you doing to help your future self? It’s like looking for quick-fix diets in a state of panic after a weekend of boozing and crushing pizzas. What is the diet that is going to immediately ‘fix’ us? But what if you consistently ate well on the reg; it was just part of your life? Then the odd beer and pizza fandangle isn’t gonna hurt.
So what if you took 5 minutes everyday to just get present, take a couple of breaths to develop and flex your awareness muscle? It will add up when the shit hits the fan.
What if you could actually help your future self right now?
Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.
Awareness = curiosity = change
P.S Nothing about you needs to be ‘fixed’.